The Best Micro SD Card 2019 Showdown

As a photographer and tech lover, I tend to gravitate towards the best of the best when it comes to the technology products I own, which is why I found myself on the quest to find the best Micro SD card out there. I want reliability, speed, and something that will let me push my equipment to its limits.

Finding the Best Micro SD Card Available

I use my phone mostly for taking photos and videos of my adventures. Having a MicroSD card that can meet my demands and have enough storage for my 1-2 week travels of photo and video taking all day long is crucial.

I currently test and use these cards for real world use on a Samsung Galaxy S9 and GoPro Hero 6.

Last Updated: April 6, 2019.

Added 2TB Micro SD card info and 1TB Micro SD cards

The Problem with Finding the Best Micro SD Card

UHS, UHS-I, U1, UHS-III, and U3 are all buzzwords and jargon to look for on the packaging. The UHS signifies the speeds up to – up to being the operative phrase. This is important if you’re shooting HD or 4k video. Faster write speeds are needed in order to produce high quality video.

Even if you’re not shooting video, but running apps or games off your Micro SD card, a fast write speed will keep things running smoothly.

A lot of cards are advertised as UHS1 / U1 and support 4k, but this simply is not true. Manufacturers claim 10MB/s write speed is sufficient, but it isn’t! You’re going to start running into overheating problems and video that stops recording before you’re done. I’ve even encountered dropped frames in video I was hoping to be spectacular.

You’ve probably seen UHS-I and Class 10 on just about every Micro SD card you’ve checked out already. The SD association has come out with speed classes relevant towards video, too.

What Are The Differences Between SD, SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC?

SDXC memory cards must only be used with SDXC devices.

SDXC devices can use SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards.

SDHC memory cards can be used with SDHC and SDXC devices.

SDHC devices can use both SD and SDHC memory cards.

SD devices can only use SD memory cards.

SDXC devices are backwards compatible, so they accept SD and SDHC memory cards. SDXC memory cards must only be used with SDXC devices and should never be used in non-compatible devices.

Micro SD Card Speed Classes

MicroSD Card Speed Classes – Credit: SD Association

For my own uses, I’ve found UHS-III / U3 and V30, V60, and V90 to be ideal for recording 4k video from my phone. Below are the fastest 128GB and 200GB micro SD cards. Anything else simply hasn’t made the cut for size, speed, and reliability.

Micro SD Card Video Speed Classes

Video classes have been assigned to better support high resolution video recordings. Supported formats for video recordings on MicroSD cards include:

4k (V6, V10, V30, V60, V90)

8k (V60 and V90)

3D (V60 and V90)

360 degree (V60 and V90)

MicroSD Card Video Speed Classes. Credit: SD Association

Best Micro SD Card Brands

There are really only 6 brands you should consider when shopping for a Micro SD card. There are faster cards out there, but I like to consider reliability as an important factor. I don’t want a card to become corrupt with a vacation full of video and photos.

All in all, Delkin is my go-to Micro SD card brand. They have performed incredibly well across a multitude of scenarios and devices.

Delkin – Micro SD cards support up to 8k, includes amazing customer service , lifetime warranty [with a 48 hour replacement policy], and all their products are incredibly fast.

Lexar – I’ve used this one over the years and have never had a failure. Nikon also recommends this brand for their cameras.

The Best Micro SD Cards by Size and Speed

2TB Micro SD Cards

As of now, there are currently no 2TB Micro SD cards on the market. However, when they are available, they will be in the SDXC and SDUC specification standards, as both of these support higher capacity sizes.

1TB Micro SD Cards

SanDisk has three 1TB Micro SD cards announced, with only one currently available for purchase. Unfortunately, quantities are limited, so if you see it available, you’re going to want to buy it quickly.

200GB Micro SD Cards

The Lexar 200GB is my all time MicroSD card favorite at this size. For the price, speed, and reliability, this was one of the easiest purchases of my tech life. I happily recommend this card to anyone who has similar demands as my own.

We have a clear winner out of the best MicroSD cards. The Lexar 1800x is incredibly faster than the runner up, Samsung’s Evo Plus. The Lexar MicroSD card is geared for the uber professional and priced accordingly. If you are shooting a ton of 4k video, this is the card for you. Your phone should handle recording like a champ without hitting buffer limitations.

Samsung, a distant second, is a great choice if you’re recording 4k in short bursts and need a more economically priced option.

Micro SD Cards for Android

The best MicroSD card you can use with your Android phone is going to be the highest capacity, especially cards which support A1. A1 means you can put apps on your card and it will run incredibly fast. This is especially useful if you play games on your phone.

Look up your phone specs which you are using, see the max capacity MicroSD card available, and then start going down my list above, starting with the highest. Most flagship phones as of writing this paragraph in 2018 will support 200GB size cards.

Micro SD Cards for GoPro

The latest GoPro Hero 7 Black comes with a free MicroSD card, but you might want some more for extra recording storage. With the ability to record 4k video and RAW, having a fast MicroSD card is going to make a world of difference, especially now that the new GoPro Hero 7 Black can support UHS-III. Your card will fill up fast!

Micro SD Cards for Drones

If you are flying a DJI Mavic 2 Pro or similar drone, documentation recommends: UHS-I Speed Grade 3 rating microSD card is required due to the fast read and write speeds necessary for high-resolution video data. Card sizes officially supported by the Mavic 2 Pro are 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB.

There is no reason to buy less than 128GB – you will not want to risk running out of space mid-flight or while recording a series. These are the best options for your drone MicroSD:

MicroSD Cards for 4k Video Recording and Playback

MicroSD Cards based on Video Speed Classes

I’m still gathering info on v90 and v60 certified MicroSD cards. Some manufacturers have claimed equivalent speeds, but have not received an official certification, so I won’t list them until that happens.

Micro SD v10 Cards

Fastest Micro SD Cards

If you’re looking for the fastest Micro SD cards, regardless of size, this is the chart for you. These are all Micro SD cards I have personally tested on my Samsung Galaxy S9 in real world conditions and everyday use.

Tips on Micro SD Card Care and Maintenance

Deleting Files and Formatting Micro SD Cards

Format your new Micro SD card as soon as you plug it into the device.

Always perform future formats in the device, whether phone or camera.

Format when putting your Micro SD card into new devices.

If you’ve ever had a corrupted Micro SD card, you know how devastating it is to lose all of your data. The absolute best way to ensure your MicroSD cards stay healthy is to only use the device, whether phone or camera, to delete files off the card. NEVER use your computer. The same goes for formatting. Always use your phone or camera to perform the format function. Using your computer to delete or format data off your Micro SD card greatly increases the chances of the card becoming corrupted over time. Just be sure you want to format, as it is not reversible.

Transferring Files off Micro SD Cards from Phone to Computer

I use Dropbox to easily and quickly move files back and forth from my phone to computer. Whether Android or iPhone, this has always seemed to be the easiest method. Dropbox will automatically upload new photos from my phone while on WiFi, then download them to my computer immediately.

Every now and then, or immediately upon returning from a vacation, I’ll hop on my computer and move the photos out of the Dropbox folder and into my Photos folder. Its a couple steps to get used to, but if you’ve tried saving photos off your phone, you know a couple steps is a lot easier than constantly pulling out hair, losing photos, or having to delete photos to make more room on your phone.

Read one of these next:

Post navigation

About The Author

30 thoughts on “The Best Micro SD Card 2019 Showdown”

Newer Comments

“Lexar – I’ve used this one over the years and have never had a failure.”

My experience in phones and various other applications is a near 100% failure rate and you have to pay to ship back the card to get a replacement (minus the time they let me take video of smashing it) No idea of a common activity doing it but phones, cameras, singleboard computer, dead, dead, dead,. To make matters worse, if you don’t encrypt the contents, you are sending the full contents of the card for them to browser. Hope no one takes nudes using a lexar, had a crypto wallet, list of passwords (stupid in itself). Their cards fail into a READ-ONLY mode, so you can get your data fine and dandy, but that is it. I don’t trust them and have thrown the last few in the microwave for 1s a few times while testing inbetween to not have it explode and be ovious, but just kill access. Easier method I use now is a super cheap 3-6v to 400kV step up transformer. Basically a stun gun but don’t do it on the card, attach electrodes as secure as possible (clamp) and zap the leads. Lower voltage in means less damage out which is good when trying to protect everything a phone can use a SD Card for these days.

Wow, what an indepth review of SD cards. I always wondered about the differences between the different brands and identifications and now I know. Although, I have to admit I’m still confused about RAW and 4K benefits. Thanks for this review.